When the fire turns to ice
by LittleBloodyJ
Summary: There was a moment Arthur’s joy of seeing him covered the little sense in him. Then he saw it- the pure insanity in Merlin’s blue eyes. The moment Arthur saw it the joy became fear. Merlin/Arthur Dark!Merlin
1. The knight fell down

**A/N: H**ey! This is _'When the fire turns to ice'_, those who read _'Better than me'_ (which comes before this stroy) will have a better idea of what's happening but you don't need to. :)  
I own nothing and I hope people like this...

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The great war of the kingdoms lasted thee years. It started six months after the sorcerer Merlin said it would and it ended on the dawn of the very same day. Over half of the great kingdom of Camelot was killed, over half of those who lived were wounded and/or were ill, very likely to die months after the war actually ended. The other great kingdoms that fought did not do any better~ many died on all sides yet, strangely, only one of royal blood was actually killed during the war. King Uther was killed in the second month of the second year of the war- murdered as he slept. The sorcerer simply took pleasure in making the kings and princes watch as their people burnt and were as helpless as he had been as his kind were killed.  
True to his word, Merlin didn't interfere with anything that happened.

On the fourth year after Merlin left King Arthur appointed his selected knights of the round table. Sir Lancelot returned and learnt of what happened to his once friend Merlin.  
"So, who betrayed him?" He asked Arthur one day when they were alone (a hint of bitterness in his tone).  
"What do you mean _betrayed_?" Arthur swallowed, though deep down he knew what was coming, the same thing his subconscious had been telling him since he saw the bloodied Merlin on the night he was dragged away. "He was a sorcerer, he broke the law and the consequence of breaking the law is death." Arthur wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Lancelot or himself.  
"Milord, may I speak freely?" At Arthur's nod he continued, "For Merlin's magic to be discovered either someone saw him use magic or he told someone he _trusted_ so if it happened to be the second case I would call it betrayal." Lancelot stopped walking and turned to face Arthur with eyes nearly as cold as Merlin's had been, "He told _you_, didn't he?"  
Arthur felt his heart stop, "Indeed, he was a sorcerer... I had to tell my father..."  
Lancelot shook his head, "I can't believe it! Merlin was your _friend _or don't you understand what friendship is _milord_?" His tone was dripping in poison as he glared daggers at the King.  
"He was a _sorcerer, _there is no such thing as a good sorcerer." Arthur's words sounded empty even to him, well rehearsed words – rehearsed from him telling them over and over to himself every moment of everyday.  
Lancelot seemed to be about to say something, only to change his mind before simply saying, "But he was still _Merlin_, the Merlin who was ready to die for the safety of Camelot, to make _you _think he was less of an idiot." He shook his head once again, like a teacher scolding a child. "If that is all sire, I wish to retire to my room for the rest of the night."  
"Lancelot..." Arthur called after him, shocked when his friend actually stopped.  
"Tell me one more thing," Lancelot's tone was a void of emotion, "Did they... did they hurt him to try to get information from him?"  
Arthur had to choke his one word answer from his suddenly dry lips, "Yes."  
Lancelot started walking, "Unbelievable," He didn't turn around till he reached his bed and allowed himself to fall apart. He'd left and Arthur had betrayed Merlin.  
That night both men cried.

On the fifth year from Merlin's departure the great kingdoms were a good (fairly peaceful) year and the sweet queen Guinevere gave birth to a boy who was named Gwayne. Arthur had tried to keep all executions to a minimum but on the very anniversary of the day Merlin had left there was to be an execution of one of his knights. Owen was one of Arthur's youngest knights but he'd been found guilty of plotting against the king- something that could only be punished by death.

The axe was sharp; Arthur had made sure of that at least. Like Merlin Owen stood tall as he walked towards his death, no fear on his face (every little thing about what was happening reminded him of what happened with Merlin). Arthur looked at Lancelot who stood behind him, not surprised at the coldness from him, he knew Lancelot though he was doing the wrong thing but what else could he do?

"You have been accused of plotting against the king..." Arthur let the words leave his lips and was suddenly glad Gwen had decided to stay with Gwayne. "Do you have any last words?" He didn't know what to expect, he could still hear Owen's mothers screams as they dragged him away.  
Owen spoke for the first time in hours and like Merlin, his eyes didn't seem to belong to him. "Not really." His silence seemed to mock Arthur and for some reason Arthur felt like someone was directly behind him.  
"So be it." When had he become so much like his father? Arthur couldn't help but want to cringe at that thought; he didn't want to be like Uther.  
The axe was swung back, over Owen's slim neck (the same size neck Merlin had) and then it flew down... Only to pause in mid-air.

Nobody could describe what happened next, it happened so fast people barely had the chance to take a deep breath in. The executioner flew back, the axe falling directly onto him and the nearby knights also flew back. A hooded figure jumped out of the crowd, quickly grabbing Owen's hand and running with him.  
"Get them!" Arthur ordered his knights as they ran after the two figures. After about five minuets of chasing them they had apparently disappeared into thin air.

"Damn it!" Arthur swore as he spun around to look at one of his knight and the knight seemed to look around before stepping forwards, dropping to the ground his sword before falling down, blood running down from his lips and a single black arrow embedded deep into the centre of his back, a piece of parchment tied to it with a gold thread. As Arthur took the small knight into his arms and started walking to the castle, knowing the young boy (he had been nineteen two days earlier) was dead. Later, when he opened the note, he felt his heart stop.

_For Sorcerers are hunted,  
one hides near,  
find me and you win,  
in the forest near the great oak.  
Tic Toc goes the clock,  
Catch me before the sand runs out..._

_M._

Arthur stared at the letters that were neatly written on the old parchment, his eyes never leaving the letter that was the signature. The 'M' was curly and slightly smudged, yet still causing Arthur to feel the feelings he hadn't felt in years.  
Merlin started with a 'M'.

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More to come soon if I'm happy with the amount of reviews. :D So go on, tell me what you think but NO flames... they make me cry.  
Also.... Happy New year!

**Love,  
J.**


	2. Denial

**A/N: H**ey! Thanks so much for the AMAZING reviews, seriously, you guys have made me SO happy! I hope this chapter doesn't dissapoint.  
Everything in _italics_ are memories.

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It took a whole day to reach the place the letter said, Arthur was in denial to who had sent the message. With some effort he had managed to remove the thought of Merlin being back in Camelot from his mind as he kissed his Queen goodbye. His whole life was more of an act than ever, but even those who knew him little saw he avoided the left area of the castle, the area worst ruined in the flame – not that was the reason Arthur avoided that area of the castle, whoever believed that would have been a fool.

The left area of the castle was where he'd last seen Merlin before he told the guards to take him. He could never, **never**go there without hearing the small whisper Merlin had let out.  
_Arthur?_  
When he did go there he'd hear the whisper and he'd look around, longing to see Merlin and to realise he was back in that moment, able to stop himself from calling the guards, to stop himself from making the worst mistake in his life.  
_Blue eyes met blue eyes, one heart racing (_Arthur's heart) _and one breaking into millions of pieces, shattering like glass.  
_Arthur hated it, having to remember what he did. Having to face up to what he did.  
_Arthur?  
_Why did Merlin have to say his name like that? Like a child calling for someone they worshipped but that person was leaving them.  
_Merlin moved back, just a tiny bit, but it was obvious half of him wasn't surprised. No, he wasn't surprised it was more like... it was disappointment that shone in his eyes.  
_That was why Arthur avoided that area.... amongst other things.

As Arthur got off his brown stallion he couldn't stop but think back to the day, or rather the moment, that he betrayed Merlin. "Oh, snap out of it!" His brain yelled as his nearly-stone heart sank like a heavy rock in water. Even after all the years, even after he had gotten married and had a son, even after years of lying to himself he **still **felt something for Merlin. He couldn't help it but, in a way, you never do stop loving your first love do you?

He snapped brutally out of his daydream as a cry left a nearby knight's lips as an arrow hit him right in the middle of his back (the same kind of arrow that Arthur had seen only hours earlier), it killed him straight away, the knight's green eyes lost all colour as he lay, looking at Arthur even in his death.  
"AMBUSH!" Lancelot yelled as he pulled Arthur out of the way of an arrow that only grazed his arm, leaving a line of red against the pale white, not worth calling pain. He'd felt worst, he lived with 'worst' everyday of his life. As Arthur, Lancelot and the two remaining knights moved to a nearby cave (the same cave that years earlier Merlin and Arthur had met Merlin's father in.) sheltering from the arrows that seemed to just be falling from the sky.  
Lancelot turned to Arthur, "What do we do sire?" Arthur didn't get a chance to reply before he felt the cool metal of a sword be pressed against his back.

"Anyone move and little king here is dead," The voice was female, "Put all weapons down."  
The knights obeyed, quickly putting their weapons onto the ground, looking worriedly at their king as she moved the sword from his back to the front of his neck, her warm breath on his neck. She was the same height as Arthur, maybe a centimetre shorter than him, and the she held the dagger in her hand so tight that her knuckles were colourless. "Better." She nodded as the weapons flew into a nearby wall.  
"You're a sorcerer!" The dummer of the knights gasped as he looked at the girl (who was about nineteen) and she laughed.  
"I know the basics- Emrys will be so happy when I bring you back," She whispered the last bit in Arthur's ear, joy lining each word.  
"Who's Emrys?" He asked before he could stop himself.  
"You'll find out very soon little king." Next thing Arthur knew everything went black in a matter of seconds.

~*~

When Arthur awoke he was in a cell, chained to a stone wall from his wrists. There weren't any windows in the room and from what he could see there were no guards in front of his cell, it was completely silent apart from his racing heart beating heavy in his ears. He wasn't scared (not really) but the cell, everything about it reminded him of the cell where Merlin had been taken after Arthur's father had found out about Merlin's magic.  
_  
There was blood everywhere, on the walls, on the ground... Arthur swallowed as he saw Merlin lying on the ground, lying in his own blood. Each breath the smaller man let out was jagged, so sharp it sounded like each breath was cutting him open from the inside.  
Arthur didn't know why he had gone down- maybe to see what damage he had caused or maybe just out of curiosity... Yet as the full sight hit him his heart seemed to stop. In the morning Merlin was to be killed, just hours remained but hours of pain for Merlin. Maybe Arthur had gone to apologise, maybe just to see Merlin but as he stood there he didn't know what to do, his brain had seemed to turn to jelly as had his legs. So, Arthur Pendragon turned around and walked away, not returning contact to Merlin's gaze and unknowingly giving Merlin a final push to what he would become._

Arthur had his heads in his hands as he took a deep, calming breath- it was over, it had been over for years. This Emrys wasn't Merlin, he was another sorcerer who had played with Arthur's memories to weaken him by signing the letter with the 'M', Merlin was long gone. Just by looking at the chains he knew he stood no chance at breaking them or freeing himself, they fitted so closely they seemed to be made just his size, like they had always been meant for him. Of course, that didn't stop him from trying. It could have been seconds, minuets or hours before he heard the cold laugh from outside his cell.

Arthur jumped to his feet as he spotted the cloaked figure standing, watching him. The cloak was long and black, it touched the ground around his feet and the hood caused a shadow on his face so Arthur couldn't spot anything of the person.  
"Who are you?" Arthur asked, when he got no answer he growled, "I demand to know who you are and what gives you the right to keep me here!"  
He could practically feel the man's amusement as he reached up a pale hand and moved the hood back, revealing a handsome face- but what caught Arthur's attention were the two diamond blue eyes that were watching him coldly. As he recognised the eyes his denial seemed to die. There was a moment Arthur's joy of seeing him covered the little sense in him. Then he saw it- the pure insanity and cruelty in Merlin's blue eyes. The moment Arthur saw it the joy became fear.  
"M-Merlin?" His voice seemed to shake as he said the other man's name.  
"Arthur."

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So? Please Review! I'll update quicker if you do... :D

**Love,  
J.**


	3. Questions and riddles

**A/N: H**ey! Sorry about the delay, lots of homework! :(  
Thank you SO much for the reviews! This, is for you Dark!Merlin fans...

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Arthur swallowed as he looked at the man before him, trying to calm his racing heart. It _was_ Merlin; as he looked into the iciness of the blue eyes he knew it was his Merlin. He'd gained weight (something Arthur had always said Merlin should do) and even under his dark cloak it was obvious he was well built, maybe even better than Arthur was. What seemed to catch Arthur's attention was the deep scar that ran down the side of Merlin's pale face, twisting at the start and the end, made out cruelty.  
"What happened to you?" Arthur gasped as Merlin didn't break his stare and didn't seem to care about the long stare Arthur gave him. He may have been Merlin but he wasn't the Merlin Arthur remembered. No, this Merlin was far colder, even his eyes seemed not to belong to him. Even how he stood- it was straight, no curve in his posture, even straighter than Uther had stood. Everything about him seemed to scream out that **he **was in charge. That was another thing that added to Arthur's fear, this man that stood before him was someone who would kill him and not think twice about it.

Merlin kept his eyes glued on Arthur, "What hasn't would be a shorter list." His voice was dry, "I didn't think you would come."  
Arthur felt him mouth go dry, which only happened when he was highly nervous, "Sorry to disappoint." When he got no form of reaction from Merlin he continued, "What have you done with my knights?" He would have sworn there was a hint of a smirk pulling at the corners of Merlin's thin mouth.  
"They are... a little tied up right now." Merlin tilted his head, "Rather pathetic if you ask me- Only Owen and Lancelot seem half decent the rest are no older than children."  
Arthur started to feel uncomfortable under the gaze Merlin was giving him, "They have potential." He glared at Merlin with the little hatred he could muster, "Have you hurt them?"  
"Not too much," Merlin didn't seem too bothered about Arthur trying to move away from his stare, "They're alive and fairly well."  
Arthur found himself moving forward just as Merlin's blue eyes flashed a deep black, making his legs obey anyone but him.  
"You haven't changed." Merlin noted in a bored tone, "Maybe a bit more like your father." Arthur felt the force holding him drop with him as he hit the ground, his knees hitting the cold floor and his spine straighter than ever. "You've started to look like him- but you still look an awful lot like your mother."

Arthur didn't think his heart could beat any faster, yet somehow it managed to triple. He felt like a lost rabbit being circled by a hungry viper, slowly being chocked by the cold coils.  
"W-What do you know about my mother?" He couldn't control his voice, there were so many emotions in it to anyone else they would have blended together- but, not to Merlin. Even after all those years he knew Arthur better than anyone. There was anger (lots of anger), pain and then there was so very much fear.  
Merlin let out another bitter laugh, "More than you do little king." He still didn't blink his wide, serpent eyes. "Are you scared?" The question wasn't mocking, yet as he tilted his head he seemed even more like a hungry serpent. Arthur felt his lips part as he tried to find an answer that didn't make him appear weak in the eyes of the man that stood watching him- because the man who stood there wasn't _his_ Merlin. That Merlin was long gone, leaving nothing in the shell apart from the cruelty and madness Arthur could see.  
Merlin's face was suddenly blank, "How does it feel Arthur? To lose control of _everything_? To lose control of _your_ body? To have _no choice_ of what is done to you? Tell me, Arthur, how does it feel not to know what will come next?" He straightened his posture, never letting anything slip around his perfect mask. "How does it feel to be betrayed?"  
Arthur swallowed as he finally tried to return Merlin's gaze, only to fight the metal grip on his body to try to get away from it. "Merlin...."  
Merlin didn't listen as he pulled his hood over his face and walked away, letting Arthur fall to the ground. He _really_ didn't want Arthur's apologies, what Merlin wanted was for Arthur to suffer like he had suffered. What, Merlin wanted was revenge and Merlin was one who got what he wanted- he wasn't the old walkover. He knew the moment the old him had died.

_Merlin had stopped feeling hours earlier; he wasn't sure if it was because of his magic or just because his body couldn't cope with anymore pain. His body was covered in blood, and his head felt like it was about to blow.  
"I can get you out of here," The man whispered, "Please, they __**will**__ kill you, you're just a kid." Merlin didn't even try to look at him; he kept his eyes shut willing himself to wake from the nightmare he was drowning in. "Someone's coming, please, think about it." As the sound of footsteps reached his ears and it didn't take his magic to know who it was._

_His eyes flickered open as he used all his energy to move his head towards the silent gasp just before blue eyes met blue eyes. He couldn't help but pour his desperation and hurt into the look. A single thought passed in storm of a mind, "Help me, Arthur." For a moment, Merlin was stupid enough to believe that Arthur was going to save him. But it only lasted a moment before Arthur spun around, breaking their gaze and walked away leaving Merlin to lie in his blood. When the footsteps faded the man stepped out of the shadows.  
"Come on kid, surely you won't let them kill you." The man sounded like he was begging, he knew what it would be like to hear one's child scream as the flames ate away hungrily at their skin. His own son had been Merlin's friend, who had been killed days before Gaius went to care for an ill Hunith. _

_Merlin tried to find his voice, surprised no tears had come. He knew he would never have any tears left to cry because crying was a way of showing weakness, like he was then and he never wanted to remember that day. So, when he did find his voice to answer the older sorcerer, it was clear what Merlin was going to say.  
"Come on kid, just say yes." The man begged again.  
"Y-ye-yes."Merlin chocked on some of the blood in his mouth and at the moment, he sold what was left of his soul to the devil._

He had never seen Gaius again, he didn't even know if the old man was still alive. He knew that his mother had died of sorrow two days before he'd snuck to see her. With her, the last piece of Merlin died and one side of the coin was gone forever.


End file.
